Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T02:31:15.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ecstasy – long-term effects on the human central nervous system revealed by positron emission tomography

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Jost Obrocki ,
Ralph Buchert ,
Ole Väterlein ,
Rainer Thomasius ,
Wolfgang Beyer  and
Thomas Schiemann
Jost Obrocki*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Hamburg
Ralph Buchert
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Hamburg
Ole Väterlein
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Hamburg
Rainer Thomasius
Affiliation:
Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science in Medicine, University Hospital, Hamburg
Wolfgang Beyer
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Hamburg
Thomas Schiemann
Affiliation:
Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science in Medicine, University Hospital, Hamburg
*
Dr J. Obrocki. University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martinistr. 52. 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The main psychotropic agent of the popular illicit drug ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). In the light of animal studies and examinations of human cerebrospinal fluid, MDMA is suspected of causing neurotoxic lesions to the serotonergic system.

Aims

To postulate a relationship between ecstasy use and lasting alterations to the cerebral glucose metabolic rate.

Method

Positron emission tomography (PET) with 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) was performed on seven ecstasy users and seven subjects without any known history of illicit drug use. Data were compared for a limited number of brain regions.

Results

By comparison with the control group, the glucose metabolic uptake of the ecstasy user group was altered within the amygdala, hippocampus and Brodmann's area 11

Conclusions

The results suggest the possibility that ecstasy use has lasting effects on central neuronal activity in humans.

Type
Preliminary Report
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 2 , August 1999 , pp. 186 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Declaration of interest

No external funding. No conflict of interest.

References

American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn) (DSM–IV) Washington, DC: APA Google Scholar
Andersson, J. L. R. & Thurfjell, L. (1997) Implementation and validation of a fully automatic system for intra- and interindividual registration of PET brain scans. Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography, 21, 134–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., et al (1961) An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 41, 561–567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Rickeis, K. & Rock, A. F. (1976) The SCL–90 and the MMPI: a step in the validation of a new self-report scale. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 280–289 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
First, M. B., Spitzer, R. L., Gibbon, M., et al (1996) Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV Axis I Disorders (SCID), Clinical Version: User's Guide. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.Google Scholar
Green, A. R., Cross, A. J. & Goodwin, G. M. (1995) Review of the pharmacology and clinical pharmacology of 3,4-methylenedioxymethaphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”). Psychopharmacology, 119. 247–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greer, G. & Tolbert, R. (1986) Subjective reports of the effects of MDMA in a clinical setting. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 18, 319–319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kleven, M. S., Woolverton, W. L. & Seiden, L. S. (1989) Evidence that both intragastric and subcutaneous administration of methytenedioxymethamphetamine produce serotonin neurotoxicity in rhesus monkeys, Brain Research, 488, 121–125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lew, R., Saboi, K. E., Chov, C., et al (1996) Methylenedioxymethamphetamine induced serotonin deficits are followed by partial recovery over a 52 week period. Part II: Radioligand binding and autoradiography studies. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 276, 855–865.Google Scholar
McCann, U. D., Ridenour, A., Shaham, Y., et al (1994) Serotonin neurotoxicity after (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; “ecstasy”): a controlled study in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology, 10, 129–138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCann, U. D., Szabo, Z., Scheffel, U., et al (1998) Positron emission tomographic evidence of toxic effect of MDMA (“ecstasy”) on brain serotonin neurones in human beings. Lancet, 352, 1433–1437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGuire, P. K., Cope, H. & Fahy, T. A. (1994) Diversity of psychopathology associated with use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’). British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 391–395.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ricaurte, G. A., Martello, A. L., Katz, J. L., et al (1992) Lasting effects of (±) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on central serotonergic neurons in nonhuman primates: neurochemical observations. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 261. 616–622.Google ScholarPubMed
Sabol, K. E., Lew, R., Richards, R. E., et al (1996) Methylenediaxymethamphetannine induced serotonin deficits are followed by partial recovery over a 52 week period. Part I: Synaptosomal uptake and tissue concentrations. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 276, 846–854.Google Scholar
Scheffel, U., Szabo, Z., Mathews, W. B., et al (1994) In vivo detection of short and long term MDMA neurotoxicity – a positron emission tomography study in the living baboon brain. Synopse, 29, 183–192.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.